Focusing on the best case studies ever: the actual work duties & current projects of participants

Although we use special case studies or business simulations to help the learning process (e.g. the Korbus U.K. case in our STEP UP!™ game), we don’t rely on them.

Indeed, our philosophy is that the participants have in their possession the best case studies ever: the actual work duties they have to fulfill and the projects they have to carry forward.

Therefore, our programs are designed to ensure the participants immediately apply the tools they learn to tackle their current work challenges.

Example

Front-line leaders participating to our LEADING CHANGE ON THE FRONTLINE program develop their own priority do-to-list and start working on it right in the classroom, with the support of effective coaching.

Unleashing the power of group reflection sessions

We recognize that deep and significant learning occurs only as a result of reflection. Experience is the best teacher, but only when participants reflect on their experiences in a thorough and effective manner.

Therefore, we complement each learning module with one or more ½-day group reflection sessions – typically held a few weeks after the learning module. This time lag provides the participants with plenty of opportunities to solidify their learning – by continuing to apply the tools and concepts as they fulfill their duties and manage their projects. From these real-world experiences, the participants derive critical insights into the challenge of leading change.

Then, the guided reflection session helps the participants turn these insights into wisdom and expertise. The session represents a quality opportunity for the participants to stop and step back as a group; reflect on what they have learned through their actions; support and advise each other; and sustain their learning.

As importantly, the reflection session ensures the participants implement the action plans they develop during each learning module. That is because they know that during the upcoming reflection session, they will take turn sharing what they have done; what worked; what didn’t; and what they learnt from it. This creates a “task tension” that ensures the program translates into behavioural change and business value.

Example

During the one-day learning module of our program for change advocates and sales people – which is titled INFLUENCING WITHOUT AUTHORITY– each participant develops a plan to influence a specific change and get buy-in for the idea. In the ensuing days and weeks, the participants work on executing their respective plans. A month or so later, the participants gather again for a ½-day reflection session.

Anchoring the learning to the work cycles & project timelines

Instead of delivering, let’s say, a two-day program over consecutive days, we deliver two one-day modules over a few weeks.

Example

Our flagship program for project teams – ROLLING OUT COMPLEX CHANGE INITIATIVES – unfolds over several weeks or even months, according to the timeframe of the change initiatives for which the participants are responsible.

This approach yields multiple benefits. The participants receive just-in-time learning in digestible pieces – exactly what they need, when they need it. The learning is focused on the best case studies ever: the actual change projects that the participants have to roll out. In between learning sessions, the participants have plenty of opportunities to apply their learning in the real-world. From these real-life experiences, they derive critical insights. Then the reflection sessions help the participants turn these insights into wisdom and expertise – as explained above.

Impact story

The JMP case illustrates the effectiveness of our Learn-and-Execute® format.

ORCHANGO [awr-cheyn-goh] is a Canadian-based management consulting and learning agency established in 2002. Our specialty is change management when change is fast-paced, ongoing and disruptive — in other words, today’s change. We build the change capabilities of public and private sector clients while helping them win in an increasingly digital world.